Temptation
by word eater
Summary: The only way to get rid of temptation is to give in. --- Black humor R/R


Disclaimer: I do not own J. K. Rowling's world of magic nor her characters.  
  
  
  
TEMPTATION  
  
The only way to get rid of temptation is to give in.  
  
(Oscar Wilde)  
  
Since ever Benjamin had had that strange idea, he knew he just had to do it. He had tried to get it out of his mind, but the idea had been stronger. The Slytherin boy wasn't quite sure how perform it, but this, he was sure, was only a matter of time - and imagination.  
  
And he also had not found a subject yet.  
  
At least this changed one divination class. Professor Trelawney nominated his subject: Sally. Of course the weird lady did not really know how much easier her prediction made it for him., did she? Though, secretly he hoped she was more than a foolish old lady with a love for the dramatic. The thing would become much more interesting then.   
  
***  
  
What is a really scaring thing? Except Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, the most horrible teacher of the school?  
  
That was a good question. It had to be something that scared Sally, that was important. And it had to be dangerous.  
  
***  
  
They were sitting in the Slytherin common room.  
  
"Uh, this is a nasty thing! Sure you guys wanna hear it?"  
  
"Yeah, c' mon, Ben!"  
  
How he enjoyed the attention of the others!   
  
"Ok, but don't say I havn't warned you!"  
  
"Well see afterwards," laughed a fourth year boy.  
  
"So there was this Redclaw,"  
  
"A hungarian?" joked the other, just to annoy him.  
  
"Of course a Hungarian Redclaw! They were in Hungary. And only such a beast can be evil enough ... " Dramatic pause.  
  
"... to do what it did to Lazlo! Whenever my brother speaks of what happened, he's still terrified ... You know, he has worked with many dragons before, but this one must have been the devil himself. Lazlo underestimated it. That was his last mistake. Only because Redclaws aren't very large, this doesn't mean they're less dangerous. He should have known better!  
  
He tried to charm the dragon, but obviously it didn't work. Before Lazlo quite got it, the Redclaw was on him. He fell, unable to move. It snapped after Lazlo's wand arm to rip it off. He screamed in terrible pain, tried to get away, but the situation was hopeless. The Redclaw had gripped him and left the ground now. Lazlo was still fighting, preferring to be killed by the fall - they were about hundred feet high by now - to what the beast might do to him. It could simply have burned him, but it didn't. It tore him in pieces, blood was raining down and, while it let the pieces go, it burned them crispy!" His voice was exploding now.  
  
"Ahh. I can't remember you having a brother. You've made up the story, haven't you?"  
  
"Of course I have. Thought I give you guys a bedtime story." Ben smirked. True, they had to go to their dorms, it was late already. Ben had had the perfect timing.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Sally," he thought. Dragons! The thing the girl feared most in the world were dragons! Well, at least they were dangerous enough. But so big! It had been a small dragon after all.  
  
***  
  
"How could this have happened?" Madame Pomfrey wondered.  
  
"There was a Boggart in the wardrobe," answered Professor Jenkins, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
  
"But Boggarts don't really change their appearance! How could it have killed the girl this way?"  
  
"Well, it seems, she believed she faced a real dragon. Fear killed her. A tricky thing, the human mind."  
  
Ben was happy, although he couldn't show this. It had worked! When Sally had opened her wardrobe that evening the Redclaw had appeared and ... well, nevermind.   
  
Her dead body had been covered with burns, each of them a simple reaction of her body to what she thought she saw. Silly girl! She imagined herself to death!   
  
Ben sighed. Everything had worked out so fine! He had had the strange longing to commit a murder - and he had never had a chance against his desires.  
  
"I saw the grim in her cup. I told her, her life was in danger!" he heard Professor Trelawney say.  
  
Smiling he went to dinner. 


End file.
